Falling in love with the Atherton Tablelands

If you like rolling hills covered with fog, cows leisurely feeding on the plains while the barns in the background look like they have lasted the test of time, you will LOVE the Atherton Tablelands. We got the recommendation to come here by a fellow traveller that loved it as much as we now do. With a little luck we also managed to find a HelpX family that really welcomed us as one of their own, and for 2 weeks we called their small house a home. Life here slows down, as any small town in the area, with so much natural beauty that you never bore of the lakes, mountains and waterfalls that are all throughout the tablelands. These are few of our absolute fave places had a chance to visit.

Mackenzie Falls

Only accessed by 4 wheel drive, these falls are in the Tumoulin State Forest near Evelyn, Queensland. Thanks to our hosts and their little hardy car we were able to drive over for few hours and suntan on the rocks by the falls. The road there was quite beat up and we drove over few creeks as well, but it was too much fun in the end! It is a 5 min walk to the falls from the parking but once you are there it is quite a site! The cascading falls kind of took our breath away and it is so hidden in the mountains that where was absolutely nothing but nature to be heard.

Lake Eacham

On a sunny saturday afternoon we took a little picnic with us and went to the lake to have lunch. It is more of a touristy spot that some other areas in the neighbourhood but the water is crystal clear and perfect for a dip or a quick paddle around the lake. We opted for the walk around, with the trail following the edge of the lake ad views to the bottom where you can see the turtles happily swimming.

Milla Milla Waterfall Circuit

Milla Milla has 5 waterfalls that anyone can go chasing as they are very close to the city centre. Each waterfall is relatively close to its parking lot so we managed to see couple of them on a rainy afternoon and left the others for next time. At this point I think we have seen over 50 waterfalls in a 2 month period, but every new waterfall just takes my breath away.

Misty Mountains

An impromptu walk to the Misty Mountains (anyone a LOTR fan? we did not find a ring or dwarves) turned into a hefty 20 km return walk to the car. The whole mountain range is filled with trails, and we could definitely see why. There were plenty of creeks and waterfalls along the way, and we walked to Cannabullen Falls and ended up on the edge of the falls. It really was something! For anyone interested in taking the challenge to do any of these tracks, please be prepared and plan ahead. there were few walk in campsites that need to be reserved, and you could spend a solid week exploring these mountains.